At least 64 people were killed and dozens injured Wednesday after a high-speed train struck the rear of another train in central Spain, derailing two cars and leaving rescuers searching through mangled wreckage for survivors and victims. Authorities said the collision occurred in the province of Toledo as both trains were traveling from Madrid toward southwestern Spain.

Spain’s rail operator ADIF said the crash happened Wednesday morning on a stretch of track between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes. The trains were carrying hundreds of passengers when one slammed into the rear of the other, sending two cars off the tracks. The cause of the collision remained unknown, and rail service was suspended between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia.

The accident involved a train operated by state-owned RENFE and another run by private company IRYO. Initial reports indicated that the RENFE train struck the IRYO train. Regional officials said passengers from both trains were among the dead, while emergency crews worked to reach people trapped in the most severely damaged cars.

Spanish Health Minister Mónica García said rescuers were concentrating on extracting survivors and recovering bodies from the two worst-damaged cars. Injured passengers were being transported to hospitals across the region. “It was a high-speed impact, so we are expecting this to be a tragedy,” García said.

A passenger aboard the RENFE train, Ignacio Relaño, told Spanish state broadcaster TVE that his train briefly stopped before moving again and crashing into the other train. He described a sudden impact that threw luggage and phones through the carriage and caused the train to lean sharply to one side.

Regional President Emiliano García-Page said at least 80 people had been injured as rescue operations continued. Officials said the RENFE train carried 397 passengers, while 147 were aboard the IRYO service. Emergency personnel, firefighters and police responded alongside a military emergency brigade. Ambulances and medical helicopters transported the injured, while passengers who escaped unharmed were moved away from the scene by bus.

The mayor of nearby Urda, Manuel Galán, said civil protection authorities had asked local officials to prepare a sports pavilion to receive injured passengers. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez canceled his schedule to focus on the disaster, expressing condolences to victims and their families. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia also issued a statement expressing grief, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe was mourning with the victims’ families. Spain’s soccer federation postponed all 24 Copa del Rey matches scheduled for Wednesday.

The collision marks Spain’s second major train disaster this year. In January, 46 people died when an IRYO train derailed in southern Spain and struck an oncoming RENFE train. That crash was the country’s deadliest since a 2013 derailment killed 80 people and raised concerns about the safety of its extensive rail network.

Spain has invested heavily in high-speed rail over recent decades, building approximately 2,400 miles of high-speed track for a population of around 49 million. Only China has a larger high-speed rail network, according to the International Union of Railways. Private operators were allowed to compete with RENFE only in recent years, with IRYO beginning Spanish operations in 2022.

The latest disaster is likely to intensify scrutiny of the network as investigators work to establish what caused the collision. Joan Rodríguez, a spokesman for Spain’s train workers’ union, said increased rail traffic following market liberalization had placed additional pressure on infrastructure. He cautioned that he was not claiming privatization caused either crash but argued that growing use of the network made adequate maintenance an important issue to examine.